Fifth Spell: Gaikin Bank
To Haru's surprise, the Tamaneko teahouse was replaced by another street that was packed with people wearing robes of various colors going in and out of shops or stopping by street vendors that sold curious-looking food and items. Looking down at his feet, he noticed he was still standing on the central rock from the Zen garden.
"Amazing," Haru murmured. "I can't believe that really happened."
"You'll get used to it overtime," Higa claimed, getting off the rock while Haru followed him down Tateroji's main street. "And if you tell people you're an Osozaki, they'll cut you some slack."
"So what is an Osozaki?" Haru asked. "That old guy said they're rare."
"Osozaki is a term used for witches and wizards who develop their magical abilities later in life than usual. Now this is either because their abilities have been artificially repressed, like in your case, or they just simply didn't develop on time. But Osozaki make up for their latent talent in the potency of their magic, which is said to be greater than normal wizards or witches."
"Huh, I don't feel special. I just feel cursed…."
"Don't let what those guys said get to you." Higa squeezed Haru's shoulder. "It's only going to get worse at Mahoutokoro."
"Will they know who I am?"
"Of course they will. News in the Wizarding World travels fast. That's why the guys at the teahouse knew about your mother."
"Did they know she died?"
"Not at first, but she was presumed dead when her body was never found."
Haru suddenly thought about the nightmare with the masked man, whom he now knew was actually Warumo, and the woman who touched his dragonfly-shaped birthmark. This made him wonder if the woman in the nightmare was his mother, and the nightmare was actually a distant memory of when he was an infant. But then he was reminded that his adopted parents Uenō and Papurika were probably lying somewhere in the smoldering ruins of their home either dying or dead.
"When you saved me, did you see what happened to Papurika or Uenō?" Haru looked up at Higa, trying to be brave.
After a pause, Higa said, "There were no signs of life when I checked the house while you were passed out. I'm sorry."
Letting this sink in, Haru was silent as he and Higa continued to walk until they stopped in front of a lopsided building made from white marble. This made it stand out from the other buildings in Tateroji, which were small and thatched with clay roof tiles.
"This doesn't look Japanese," Haru noted.
"You're not far off," Higa responded. "What you're looking at is Gaikin, the Japanese branch of the Gringotts Wizard Bank from England. It was established not long after the Japanese Ministry of Magic was formed, and is one of the safest places in our country apart from Mahoutokoro."
As the two stepped inside, the shiny floors gleamed from the chandeliers above them. Behind teller stations made of red wood sat little men with pointed ears, noses, and teeth.
"In case you're wondering, those things are goblins," Higa whispered to Haru. "They're magical creatures not native to Japan, though some of them have lived here for generations. But they aren't the most friendly, so let me do the talking."
Haru nodded in understanding as they approached a goblin teller with smooth black hair and round glasses.
"Excuse me," Higa said politely. "I have two requests."
"Make them quick," said the black-haired goblin grumpily. "I'm very busy."
"First, Haru Ryuji wants to make a withdrawal from his mother Kiku Tago's inheritance," Higa answered. "And second, I'm here to retrieve something on Dōmeki-Sama's behalf."
The black-haired goblin stared at Haru. "Does Ryuji-Kun have his key?"
Reaching into a pocket of his robe, Higa produced a small key made of brass. Then he took out a letter from the same pocket that he gave to the black-haired goblin. Immediately, the black-haired goblin opened the letter and read it before leaving the teller station.
"Where did he go?" Haru wondered.
"Probably to his boss to verify the letter," Higa guessed. "It's an unusual request, so I'm not surprised by his reaction."
"Can you tell me what Dōmeki asked you to retrieve?"
Shaking his head, Higa replied, "It's confidential. Even I don't know what it is."
A few moments later, the black-haired goblin came back with the letter.
"Everything seems to be in order, so if you'll follow the mikari baba over there she'll take you down to the vaults," said the black-haired goblin as he gestured to an old lady wearing an old straw hat with pale-gray skin and a torch in her mouth.
"What's a mikari baba?" Haru said to Higa as they walked toward the old lady.
"A type of yokai that steals raincoats and eyes from people, so best be on your guard around her," Higa advised.
The two regarded the mikari baba indifferently as she did of them while they went into a dark tunnel. Inside, there was a rail-cart they got on which was driven by another goblin. Along twisted rails, the mikari baba's torch illuminated tunnels with vaults of various sizes while Haru spotted a red serpentine creature with wings and horns nearby.
"Dragons," Haru realized. "This place is guarded by dragons!"
"Specifically Chinese Fireballs," Higa corrected. "Don't stare at them too much, because they can be aggressive."
"Vault 798," said the goblin driving the cart as he stopped it abruptly.
Immediately, the mikari baba got out and stood next to a vault which had an intricate door pattern of a flower and serpent. Higa gave the goblin the key, and he unlocked it. Within the vault was a moderately large pile of oval coins like the one Higa gave to the waitress, only they were a mix of gold, silver, and bronze mintage.
"Your mother set this inheritance up for you in case anything happened to her," Higa said while Haru marveled at the coins. "It's not much, but better than nothing."
"Can you tell me what these coins are?" Haru asked, picking one of the gold coins up. "I've never seen this kind of currency before except in history books."
To be continued…
